


River Of Music

by ReadingWritingBooks



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: All of the Bellas are here, Alternate Universe - High School, Beca and the Treblemakers are friends, DJ Beca Mitchell, Explicit Language, F/F, Minor Character Death, Only vaguely, Underage Drinking, sort of follows canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2019-09-05 05:50:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16804765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReadingWritingBooks/pseuds/ReadingWritingBooks
Summary: Beca Mitchell is nondescript at Barden High. She hangs out with the Treblemakers, who are usually the talk of the school, but she sticks to being a DJ and goes along with whatever happens. It's how she operates.That all changes when a last minute mix up at a party launches Beca and her Junior year into High School fame. Suddenly, she finds herself getting a taste of the same fame her friends have had for years. It doesn't help that the up and rising a capella group the Barden Bellas have been there to witness it all, and they think that she is just what they need to win against the Treblemakers this year.





	1. I Still Got This

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work on this site, so advice/critique is appreciated.

As much as Beca hated to admit it, she was going to have to murder Jesse Swanson. 

Yes, he was her best friend, and yes, he had her best interests at heart. But Beca was going to kill him for this. 

When she had gotten the text, Beca had immediately assumed that it was a wrong number. Why else would one of the most popular guys at school be texting her about his party? Soon, though, she found out that she was wrong. Jesse had given him her number, and, in his own words, “hooked her up with a sweet gig”. 

Beca had been tempted to crush her phone into dust at that point, but settled for waiting to do it to Jesse. 

The party of Luke, of the abs and English accent, was more than just “a sweet gig”. It was the last party of the summer. It was the talk of Barden High for months after the school year started. And, apparently, now it was missing its DJ. 

And Jesse had oh-so-graciously volunteered Beca to fill in. 

It wasn’t like Beca was mad at having the opportunity. No, she was furious that Jesse signed her up to DJ for a party tomorrow night, when he knew that she needed to have time to prepare. And the audacity of not even asking her first! There were a lot of reasons for Beca to back out of this, to tell Luke that it was all a misunderstanding. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. 

Still, Beca was going to murder Jesse Swanson. 

When she got to his house, coincidentally only a couple houses down from her own, she all but pounded on the door. It was whipped open before she got fully through her third knock. 

“I knew you’d be coming,” Jesse grinned. “Are you excited? It’s going to be so awesome! I mean, it’s Luke’s party! Everyone else around here loves him.” 

Beca scowled at him, choosing to ignore his dopey grin for the moment. “And how, exactly, do you expect me to come up with a set in time for tomorrow night?” 

Jesse’s grin didn’t falter. “You can use one of the ones you’re always working on, can’t you? It’ll be a great way to get your work out there, Beca. Just think, maybe our Junior year will be filled with fame!”

Beca couldn’t keep her scowl on when he did a dramatic hand motion with the word fame. She followed him into the empty house, and crossed her arms. “Our Junior year, huh?” 

“Well,” Jesse looked back at her, his tone sounding like this should be obvious. “Somebody has to be your manager.” 

Beca stayed silent for a long moment, watching as Jesse rummaged around in his would-be-impressive-if-it-wasn’t-lame movie collection. If she stuck around any longer, he would try and convince her to stay and watch with him. That thought served as inspiration to get going. 

“I guess,” Beca said, breaking the silence. Jesse snapped his head around to look at her with disgustingly hopeful eyes. “I guess it won’t be a complete mess if I pull something together.” 

“That’s a yes?” 

Beca sighed, closing her eyes briefly, then opened them again to meet Jesse’s ecstatic stare. “It’s a yes.” 

Jesse shouted and pumped his fist, before trying to envelop Beca in a massive hug, which she quickly dodged. He didn’t seem fazed, however, and went on celebrating. He kept it up for about another minute before he seemed to remember that Beca was even there. 

“This’ll be great, Bec, I promise.” He held up a movie, one of the many surrounding them both. “Want to watch a movie to celebrate?” 

Beca gave him an unimpressed look. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t. Someone is making me pull together a kick-ass set by tomorrow night.” 

“And I’m sure that someone is very sorry!” Jesse called after her as Beca left his house, already mentally preparing. She was going to have to stay up all night for it to be even remotely good. Her dad and the step-monster would be all over her if they found out that she was DJing for a party. 

Beca slipped into her house quietly and had her headphones over her ears before she even got to her room.

***

By noon the next day, Beca was swaying on her feet, on her fifth coffee of the day, and still hearing the beats of her mixes despite there being no music on, but she was ready. Currently, she was laying on Jesse’s couch, watching tiredly as he and the rest of the Barden High famous Treblemakers fanboyed out like dorks over Luke’s party. 

Beca tried to follow the conversation, she really did, but when Bumper and Donald started to talk about different hair-gels they used, she couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore. 

Beca estimated that she got about five minutes of peaceful rest before someone was shouting in her ear and shaking her awake. “No sleeping, Mitchell! We need you conscious to be a badass DJ, you know!” 

Beca pushed the Treblemaker away and sat up, glaring at Bumper and Donald. She didn’t like the way that they were smirking at her. “What? Scared that if I mess up you’ll lose your spot as best a capella group at Barden?” 

“Oh, that’s cold,” Bumper said, fixing his Treblemaker jacket. “But you and me both know that we’re the only good, cool group around here.”

Beca raised an eyebrow and stood, making her way over to Jesse, who was talking with Benji. “There’s nothing cool about a capella.” 

There was a collective ohh from the Trebles, but Bumper simply flipped her off and turned back to Donald. Jesse grinned at her excitedly when she reached him. 

“We have your outfit ready for tonight,” 

“I wasn’t aware that there was a dress code.” Beca looked to Benji then back to Jesse. They both wore that same dopey, puppylike expression that Beca despised. “Fine. What am I wearing?” 

Benji seemed to light up, smiling at Beca and holding up a jacket. A Treblemaker jacket. “Well, this, to start with.” 

Beca paused, half smiling at him before shooting a look at Bumper. “You guys do know that I’m not part of your lame, organized boy singing group, right?” 

“We know, Mitchell,” Donald said, leaning against the wall and looking her up and down. “But that doesn’t mean that you can’t support us, you know? Just think of it. Luke’s party, the whole school, and the one DJ is representing the Treblemakers.”

“Of course,” Beca smirked, and took the jacket. It fit almost perfectly. “It’s every girls dream to be a publicity stunt.” 

Then they were out and rolling to Luke’s house, which was already packed by the time they all got there. Tacky music pounded out through the speakers, and kids were wandering around everywhere, holding cups and cans like someone might snatch them away if they didn’t hold on tight enough. Beca heard some whispers following her and the Trebles as they walked into the house, and she felt the sudden desire to melt into the crowd. She didn’t, however, and followed Jesse and Bumper to where they swore Luke would be. 

The music wasn’t on in the room that they eventually entered, though you could faintly hear it through the walls. This room was large, though everything in Luke’s house was, and it was crowded beyond belief. At the other end of the room, opposite the door, there was your classic DJ setup, sitting on a slightly raised platform. 

And standing in front of that, singing loudly and slowly, was a group of girls. 

Beca couldn’t help but stare as a group of mismatched girls sang Turn The Beat Around. Some of them looked almost pained, but the one in front, the tall blonde, was smiling dazzlingly at the crowd they had drawn. They were all dressed similarly, in blue jackets over white shirts, yellow scarves tied around necks or wrists. There were fancy embroidered B’s on the jackets, like the symbol on the Treblemaker’s dark red jackets. 

Before Beca could get a good look at most of them, or even wonder if they were yet another a capella group at Barden like the Treblemakers, Harmonics, and High Notes, Bumper was shoving his way forward and cutting them off rudely. It was his competitive attitude, a somewhat annoying mix of petulant and arrogant. So these girls were definitely an a capella group. 

“They’re pretty okay, huh?” Jesse said, leaning close to Beca’s ear to be heard over the argument of the blonde singer and Bumper. “They’re the Barden Bellas. A lot of them graduated last year, and they had to get new people, so that’s why everyone looks a bit… disorganized.” 

“Why do you know this?” Beca asked, but everyone in the room got quiet before she could get a response. 

“Okay, okay, settle down, singers!” Luke had swaggered into the center of the room while Beca had been distracted. “Bellas, it was lovely, but I’ve been informed that the DJ is in the house!” 

Beca smiled slightly as most of the people in the room turned to look at where Luke was pointing, even the Bellas. She made her way over to the host of the party, and stood there waiting while he spoke with the girl a capella group. She took the opportunity to get a look at the Treblemakers opponents. 

Standing slightly behind the blonde leader were two more girls, a tall brunette and a redhead. The brunette noticed Beca staring and winked, nudging her friend. Beca looked away quickly and moved back slightly, which caught Luke’s attention. 

“Oh, there you are. Have you been standing there long?” 

“No, I just got here. I wasn’t…” Beca trailed off when she realized that Luke wasn’t paying attention. “I’m just the DJ.” 

“DJ, huh? Did you say DJ?” Suddenly, one of the Bellas was next to Beca, talking with a loud Australian accent. “You look like a Treblemaker to me.” 

“Oh, uh, I’m not a Treblema-” Beca was cut off by the blonde leader before she could explain. 

“Amy! What have I told you about this?” The blonde gestured to the other Bella accusingly, and, though Beca couldn’t see anything wrong, Amy muttered out an apology. “Oh, it’s too late to fix now. We’ll have words later. Now, you, Treblemaker.” 

It took Beca a couple of seconds to realize that the Bella was talking to her. The change of pace was startling. “What, me?” 

“Yes, you.” The Bella leader gave her an unimpressed look. “I didn’t know that they let girls into the Treblemakers. Especially ones like… you.”

Beca raised an eyebrow, forgetting where she was for a moment. “Yikes. I’m not a Treble, though. I would never sing a capella.” 

“Why not?” The redhead asked, sounding genuinely confused. “We have so much fun. We perform in front of crowds, and at competitions.” 

“Like, on purpose?” 

“We played at prom last year, you bitch.” The blonde said through gritted teeth. The redhead put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a disapproving look, and the tall brunette smirked at Beca. 

“Well, you managed to piss Aubrey off, DJ.” She said offhandedly, as if this was a common occurrence. Beca was starting to think that it was. “I’m Stacie, anyway, and that’s Chloe.” 

Beca was saved from having to respond by Luke. He grabbed her elbow and led her over to the DJ setup without a word to any of the Bellas, which Beca was simultaneously relieved and annoyed about. 

Luke got her up onto the raised platform and started to explain how it all worked, but Beca tuned him out. She already knew how this particular equipment worked, and she had all of her stuff ready, if things got desperate. She continued to ignore Luke and got her set ready. He seemed to get the hint and left the platform, but not before grabbing one of the microphones. 

“Now, everyone, get ready to hear some kickass beats from DJ Beca Mitchell!” 

The crowd, most of which was half-drunk, cheered loudly. Beca looked up one more time before she slipped the headphones over her ears. Jesse, Benji, and some of the other Trebles were clapping and obnoxiously cheering her on. Beca couldn’t help the small smile that crossed her face when she saw the Bellas also standing by, watching her, some of them looking at the Treblemakers in disgust. 

Beca looked down at her setup, then put the headphones on, losing herself into the music she created, still hearing the soft sound of Turn The Beat Around in the back of her mind.


	2. It's Not That Bad

When school started a week later, Beca was glad to say that she had never hated going to Barden more.

Her classes were still easy enough, and the Treblemakers were as insufferable as always, but those seemed to be the only two things that remained the same. Throughout the day, Beca found herself making a mental list of all the changes.

Firstly, the fact that everyone knew her name. It was a far cry from her previous two years at Barden, where the only people she talked to were Jesse and Benji and the other Trebles, occasionally. She liked the small circle of friends, if they could be called that. It kept everything peaceful.

Nothing was peaceful now.

Just in her first period class, Beca had three separate kids she didn’t know ask her about Luke. They seemed to be under the impression that Beca was close friends with the popular boy, and that she could make them friends with him too. By the time that her second class was over, she was ready to tell Luke and Jesse and everyone else just where exactly they could put Luke’s friendship.

That was, until she walked into her third period class.

Beca got there early, so she sat in an empty seat in the back and waited for the teacher to start the first-day-of-school ritual of going over the syllabus. Not that Beca was complaining. It gave her time to mull over ideas for new mixes.

When she saw someone sit in the seat next to hers, Beca originally tried to ignore them. It wasn’t hard. She had a lot of experience to fall back on. But when she looked up and recognized one of the Barden Bellas, she couldn’t help but be interested with where it was going. After all, the Bellas already seemed to know Luke.

The Bella noticed Beca noticing her. “So,” She said slowly, looking Beca up and down. “You’re Beca Mitchell.”

“That seems to be what everyone is saying.” Beca tried to turn her attention back to the front of the room, where the teacher was writing something on the board. “And you’re a Bella.”

The singer grinned. “Cynthia-Rose,” She watched the teacher for a moment before looking to Beca again. “That set you played. It was sweet.”

“Oh,” Beca smiled slightly at that. The Bella was one of the first people to actually mention her music, much less compliment it. “Thanks.”

Cynthia-Rose nodded and they went back to pretending to listen to the teacher until he gave them the rest of class to do some assignment. Then the Bella tuned back to her with a wicked gleam in her eye, something that Beca decided was simultaneously the best and worst thing she had ever seen.

“So, Beca,”

“Cynthia-Rose,” Beca replied, because she felt like the other girl was waiting for something from her.

“I have a proposition for you.”

“No good thing has ever started that way,” Beca griped. “What is it?”

The Bella hesitated slightly, then abandoned all pretense of working on the assignment. _Sorry, Mr. S,_ Beca thought wearily, _I couldn’t do the work because I was being talked into something that I’ll probably regret._

“Do you sing?” Cynthia-Rose asked, grinning slightly sheepishly, like she had been told to ask that question. Briefly, Aubrey flashed to the front of Beca’s mind, but she pushed the thought away. The Bella leader hadn’t seemed to keen on Beca when they had met earlier, and Beca couldn’t see her asking around about a DJ for the Bellas. It just didn’t seem like her style.

Then Beca thought about the other two Bellas that she met at the party, and she eyed Cynthia-Rose with a new interest. “That’s not a proposition.” When the other girl gave her an amused glare, Beca put her hands up in surrender. “I don’t sing a capella, dude.”

“So you do sing,”

Beca groaned and propped her head up on one hand. “What’s the idea- wait, sorry, _proposition?_ ”

Cynthia-Rose smirked at her, then went back to pretending to work as the teacher walked by. “So, I think you met Aubrey and Chloe at the party, right? The Bella’s co-captains?”

Beca raised an eyebrow a little at the term co-captains, but nodded and gestured for the Bella to go on.

“Well, they sort of told us that if any of us saw you, we should tell you to come to auditions.”

“Still waiting to hear the offer.” 

Cynthia-Rose glared and hit her on the arm lightly. “I’m getting to it, damn!” She returned the grin Beca was giving her, though, and scratched out an answer on her paper before looking back to her. “So, if you show at auditions, I can promise you that you’ll get the one spot that we have left.”

Beca paused for a moment, considering it. She didn’t sing a capella on the principle of it being the lamest thing she could imagine, but she had to admit that sometimes she hummed along with the Trebles when they were practicing. Sometimes she let Jesse talk her into deuts at midnight when his parents were out of town and the step-monster was being unbearable, and he was the only person in the world she felt comfortable enough to go to. Sometimes she humored Benji and Unicycle and Donald by rapping when they were bored on the bus to their competitions. Singing with them wasn’t _horrible_.

But she was already shoving these thoughts away, because she wouldn’t be singing with the Treblemakers. She wasn’t the kind of girl who’s friends were girls, and she certainly didn’t join a group for synchronized lady dancing. “Did you happen to miss the part where I said that I don’t sing a capella? I don’t want on your team, dude, no offence.”

Cynthia-Rose shrugged, as if she had been expecting that response. “None taken, girl. But, just in case you change your mind, auditions are in the auditorium, a week from today.”

“I won’t change my mind,” Beca replied. “But thanks.”

***

The next day of school, they went over the back half of their schedule. Periods four, five, and six. Beca was almost surprised to find herself looking for a Bella in each of her classes. It seemed unlikely that she would get one on one day and none the next. It wasn’t _that_ big of a school, after all.

Period four didn’t disappoint. When Beca walked in, the tables were split into groups of four. Before she could even consider taking a seat at an empty group, Beca was being dragged to a group by the arm. She looked over, fully prepared to try and punch the person dragging her, when she recognized Stacie Conrad, the tall brunette Bella. Cynthia-Rose had said that she was a big player in the Bellas, but Beca knew her name around school for other, less family-friendly reasons. Plus, having her for a biology lab partner Freshman year. 

“Dude!” Beca sputtered, struggling to break free of the other girl’s surprisingly strong grip. “What the hell?”

“You’re sitting with us,” Stacie said simply, stopping in front of a half filled group. Then she smirked and leaned over to ruffle Beca’s hair. “Almost didn’t recognize you, though. You’re so small, I thought a Freshman had wandered in by accident.”

Beca leaned away, scoffing. “Fuck you, Conrad.”

Before Stacie could reply, Beca noticed the two people already sitting at the table. One was Aubrey, staring at Beca with an unreadable expression. The other was the redhead, Chloe. The co-captains of the Bellas.

Chloe gave her a smile. “It’s Beca, right? Here, have a seat.”

“Uh, yeah, okay,” _Smooth, Mitchell,_ Beca thought as she sat down, Stacie beside her, and across from Chloe. The redhead positively _beamed_. It was actually a little disconcerting.

“So, Beca,” Aubrey leaned forward in her seat, looking like she thought this was a job interview. She said Beca’s name like some people would say _roach_. She must have been more angry about that interaction at the party than Beca thought. “Cynthia-Rose tells me that you won’t be auditioning?”

Beca shrugged, bouncing her gaze from Chloe, to Aubrey, then back again. “I don’t really sing a capella. Sorry.”

“Why not?” Chloe asked, tilting her head slightly. Beca glanced toward the front of the room, wondering if the teachers in this school ever taught anything. She didn’t want to have to tell them anything. She didn’t sing, and that was that.

Luckily, Stacie cut in at that moment. Unluckily, she was grinning at Beca, that same look in her eye that Cynthia-Rose had the day before. “Why don’t we see your skills for ourselves? Just the four of us, after school.”

“That sounds…” _Horrible, terrifying, a waste of time, vaguely dirty when you say it like that,_ Beca thought, but she didn’t say any of the options out loud. She had a feeling that all of them would only worsen her image in the eyes of one Aubrey Posen. “That sounds like something that I’ll have to consider.”

“It’s a date!” Chloe smiled, clasping her hands together excitedly. Beca didn’t have the heart to tell her that she probably wouldn’t show. 

Aubrey smiled as well, even though it came off as slightly more threatening than her co-captain’s. “Pick a good song,” She said. “I trust that a DJ has good taste in music?” 

Beca bit back the words about Turn The Beat Around that were threatening to break free. “I think so.” 

“Great!” Stacie smirked at Beca, then turned her attention to the teacher, who _finally_ showed up. The class went by quickly, and Beca, surprisingly, found herself enjoying it. Not that she would ever tell Stacie, but the tall Bella was hilarious, and the things she said during class made sitting with Aubrey almost bearable. 

Another thing that made the class bearable: Chloe Beale. The redhead laughed at all of Stacie’s jokes. She bugged Aubrey with questions about what the teacher was saying. And she was constantly tapping her feet. Not in a dancing way, but just tapping out the rhythm to some song, right next to Beca’s legs. 

One time, in between slides for the teacher’s notes, Beca couldn’t recognize the beat at all. It was like the redhead was just tapping out gibberish. So, before she could think better of it, Beca wrote _‘what song is that?’_ on her paper and slid it toward Chloe. 

The Bella co-captain read it and smiled, then wrote down something and slid the paper back to Beca. _My Song, by Alessia Cara._

_Never heard of it._ Beca wrote, giving Chloe a slightly apologetic smile. 

_It’s really good. I think that you’d like it._

Beca was reaching for her pencil to write a response when Stacie leaned over. “Come on, lovebirds, some of us are trying to focus here.” 

“What the hell are you talking about, Conrad?” Beca hissed, shooting a glance to the teacher. “If you want to focus so bad, no one is stopping you.” 

“Really, Mitchell? You flirting with my captain is very distracting.” 

“I was _not_ -” 

“Both of you, shut up.” Aubrey said, glaring at them. Beca quirked an eyebrow, but complied, following Stacie’s lead. The blonde went back to taking notes, looking satisfied. Beca was tempted to keep talking, just to spite her. 

But then she caught Chloe’s eyes, and she figured that antagonizing the captain of the Bellas was a surefire way to get herself into deep, deep trouble. 

***

Fifth period was fun and relaxing, purely because it was full of Treblemakers. Jesse and Benji sat with Beca, while Bumper, Kolio, and Unicycle sat in the front row terrorizing the teacher. Beca almost felt bad for the other kids in the class. No one was going to learn anything with the Trebles around. 

“Beca! How was fourth period?” Jesse asked, grinning. Beca recognized that grin. It was his ‘I just got the answers to the test, but I’m not going to tell you’ grin. It was his ‘the Trebles are throwing you a surprise party, but I’m only telling you this after said party’ grin. It was his ‘I signed you up to DJ for Luke’s party without telling you’ grin. 

Beca punched him in the arm, hard. “Dude, you knew that the Bellas would be there? And you didn’t _warn_ me?” 

“Why would you need to be warned?” Benji asked, looking puzzled. “The Bellas aren’t that bad.” 

“Don’t let Bumper hear you say that.” Jesse said, still grinning at Beca. “And I didn’t warn you because I think that they’re right. You should try out for the Bellas.” 

Beca gaped at him, then looked at Benji. “Did he suffer a serious head injury on the way here, or has he always been this stupid, and I just haven’t noticed?” 

“No, come on, hear me out, Becs! This could be your chance!” Jesse grabbed her hand, but let go of it just as quickly, seeing Beca’s glare. 

“My chance for what, exactly?” 

“Oh, I don’t know, to finally be seen and respected as a person who makes music?” 

Beca snorted, then saw the look on the Treblemaker’s face. “Wait, you’re serious? Jesse, I don’t know how to tell you this, but when I think of a capella, _respected_ isn’t exactly the first word that comes to mind.” 

“Well, you have to start somewhere, don’t you?” Benji murmured. He was looking between Beca and Jesse with a furrowed brow. “I would suggest being on the Trebles, but it’s a boys club. The Bellas would be a perfect substitute.” 

Beca considered slamming her head down on the desk repeatedly. She had a feeling that the a capella world was starting to be more trouble than it’s worth. Instead, she just sighed and glared at Jesse. “If I do this, you’re not allowed to bug me about movies for a month.” 

Jesse’s face split into an alarmingly large smile, and he had her swept up into a group hug with Benji before she could even think to protest. She fought it for a couple seconds, then finally managed to break free. Jesse was still smiling as he said, “You know this means we’re going to be rivals, right?” 

“I hate you,”


	3. After School Special

After a lot of deliberating and absolutely no paying attention in sixth period, Beca decided to humor Stacie and the co-captains of the Bellas. Singing with them after school couldn’t end too horribly. Then, when Beca had a split-second vision of Stacie kidnapping her and making her sing a capella for the rest of her life, she resolved to check in with Jesse, just in case. 

But, as it turned out, Stacie and the co-captains of the Bellas weren’t about to let Beca back out. They cornered her at her locker just moments after the final bell rang. Stacie tried to ruffle Beca’s hair, Chloe smiled softly, and Aubrey glared at her. Beca tried desperately to fend of Stacie. 

“So, where are we doing this?” She asked, ducking behind Chloe for cover, while the redhead laughed. 

“We’re getting into my car, to start. Then, I drive you to our special, super-secret Bella rehearsal spot.” Stacie dug her keys out of her purse, giving up on messing with Beca for the time being. 

Beca followed the Bellas into the parking lot, trying to ignore the staring that she got. She knew that she wasn’t exactly the picture perfect Bella, knew that people would say that she was ‘too alternative’ to fit in with them. But, really, hadn’t the Bellas changed from the years before? They had new people, with new styles. 

Beca almost physically shook her head to push away those thoughts. Since when did she _defend_ the Barden Bellas? 

They got into Stacie’s car, Aubrey riding shotgun with Beca and Chloe in the back. Stacie barely even gave them time to put on seat belts before speeding out of the lot, flipping through radio stations as she drove. 

“Where exactly is this rehearsal place?” Beca asked, grabbing onto the handle of her door for dear life as Stacie shot down the road, leading them farther and farther from the heart of town. 

The tall Bella just laughed. “Why would I tell you now? It would ruin the surprise!” 

“I knew it!” Beca leaned forward, reaching across and grabbing the back of Aubrey’s seat for purchase. “You’re going to drag me out into the woods and kill me, aren’t you, Conrad?” 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Stacie scoffed, taking a sharp left turn. “I could kill you just as easily in my basement as in the woods. Why would I go to all this trouble?” 

Beca tried not to dwell on that. 

“So, Beca,” Chloe started, smiling. “Have you picked a song yet?” 

“No,” Beca leaned her head back and tried not to think about Stacie’s horrible driving. “I had barely even decided to come when you three _kidnapped_ me.” 

“Oh, I get it! Kidnapped, because you’re the size of a child, right?” 

Beca kicked the back of her seat, and glanced up when she heard Chloe giggling. “Oh, not you too! I thought that at least you would be on my side!” 

“Sorry,” She responded, smiling sweetly. “Bellas for life. You’ll know what I’m talking about soon enough.” 

Beca just grunted as she was slammed into the door by another one of Stacie’s wild turns. “If I survive this drive, maybe.” 

She tuned out the sound of Stacie and Chloe’s chatter and stared out the window as they drove. They were heading farther and farther from town, but Beca was beginning to recognize the world around them. It was the national park. Her mother used to take her out here every weekend, and they would have picnics by the stream, singing along with the scrappy radio that mom had brought with them. She was struck with a sudden, almost painful memory of singing one particular song with her mother, the day before her parents had told her about the divorce. 

And before Beca could stop herself, she was singing _Put Your Records On_ by Corinne Bailey Rae, quietly, almost under her breath. The words came slowly at first, her mind struggling to remember. Then it clicked, and she was singing that song, that damn song, the one that never failed to tighten her chest and put a lump in her throat. She was so lost in the music that she barely registered the sudden silence in the car. Stacie had turned the radio off. They were listening to her sing. 

Beca stopped herself abruptly. She couldn’t do this. She wasn’t going to let these Bellas drag her out to her mother’s spot and make her sing their song. It wasn’t going to happen. 

Then Chloe’s hand was around her wrist, squeezing lightly. “Don’t stop,” 

Beca lowered her gaze to her arm and Chloe’s hand, then raised it again to meet shining blue eyes. She sighed softly, then started singing again. This time, Chloe sang with her. 

_Girl, put your records on, tell me your favorite song  
You go ahead, let your hair down_

Stacie and Aubrey started to make up the beat from the front seats. Chloe didn’t let go of Beca’s arm, and they kept singing, falling into rhythm with the other two Bellas. It felt right, natural. 

Beca couldn’t help but think that maybe being a Bella wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. 

***

At the actual national park, they hiked up a long, unforgiving trail to reach a picnic area. It was— understandably, in Becca’s opinion— deserted. The hike had been hell, but Aubrey, who had been acting like a drill sergeant the entire time, seemed thrilled. She clapped her hands excitedly, like a kid on Christmas day. 

“Okay, Bellas! Well, Bellas and Beca.” Aubrey smiled in that almost-scowling way of hers. “We already heard you sing, and that was… a start.” 

Beca shoved her hands into her pockets and looked up at the trees. Already, the leaves were starting to change color and fall off. It was strange, being in such an unfamiliar part of a place she had thought that she knew like the back of her hand. Admittedly, though, Beca had avoided this place after her mother skipped town. 

“Beca, are you even listening to me?” Aubrey asked, and a snapping noise in front of Beca’s face made her jump backwards, almost colliding with Stacie. 

“No,” Beca replied before she could think better of it. 

“Great, that’s just…” Aubrey rubbed her temples before fixing Beca with a terrifying glare. “Pay attention, Mitchell, this is going to get you ready for your spot on the Bellas.” 

“Don’t I have to audition first? Like, with other people, who actually want this spot?” 

“Well, we already looked through the people who were serious about joining, and we picked one of them, a legacy.” Chloe explained, taking a seat on one of the moldy wooden picnic benches. 

“How do you guys have legacies already? The Bellas have only been a group for, like, six years.”

“How do you know what a legacy is, Beca ‘I’m too cool for a capella’ Mitchell?” Stacie countered. 

Beca really didn’t feel like admitting that she actually pays attention sometimes when the Trebles talk, so she just glares at Stacie and waits for an answer. 

And Chloe gives it to her. “Emily, our legacy, is the daughter of the former captain of the Barden University Bellas. So, technically, she’s a legacy.” 

Beca eyed all three of the Bellas dubiously. “Okay,” She leaned back against a tree, just about as far from them as she could get. “So, what? You want me to sing for you guys again?” 

“Yes,” The three of them chorus in response. Then Aubrey takes the lead, as usual. “You technically already sang the song of your choice for us, so just sing the one we choose.” 

“And if I don’t know it?” 

Stacie smiled, the same way she had back in their Freshman year biology when she volunteered them both to do the science fair without Beca’s knowledge. This time, though, the tall brunette simply started humming. 

Beca threw her head back against the tree, groaning. “No! Come on, Conrad, don’t do this.” 

Stacie kept on humming, getting louder and louder with every note. Aubrey was glancing between them, brows furrowed. “What song is this?” 

Beca sighed, loudly, and glared at Stacie. “I hate you, Conrad.” 

Then she started singing. 

_Absolutely no one who knows me better_  
_No one that can make me feel so good_  
_How did we stay so long together_  
_When everybody_  
_Everybody said we never would_  
_And just when I_  
_I start to think they're right_  
_That love has died_

Then Stacie stopped humming and joined Beca for the chorus, grinning. 

_There you go making my heart beat again_  
_Heart beat again, heart beat again_  
_There you go making me feel like a kid_  
_Won't you do it and do it one time,_  
_There you go pulling me right back in_  
_Right back in, right back in_  
_And I know I'm never letting this go_  
_I'm stuck on you_  
_Whoa-oh, whoa-oh_  
_Stuck like glue_  
_You and me baby_  
_We're stuck like glue_

And Beca would never, ever admit it out loud, but she knew that Stacie and Cynthia-Rose and Chloe and, hell, even Aubrey, they were all right. Beca knew this about Stacie, of course, and had known it since the day they got assigned as lab partners. Stacie had taken one look at Beca and cracked a short joke, Beca had hit her on the arm and said “shut the fuck up, Conrad”, and that had been their first day. 

After that, when a guy was heckling Stacie, calling her things that would make a sailor blush, Beca had punched him in the face. She had gotten suspended for a week, but it was worth it. 

When Beca’s step-mother took her phone away for absolutely no reason, Stacie insisted on coming over to the Mitchell house and stealing it back. She ended up sleeping over, and Beca’s phone ended up right back in the step-monster’s clutches, but it had been good. 

When they had both gotten the top final grades in the class— Stacie a few points ahead, of course— the two of them had danced around in the taller girl’s room for hours, singing this very same song at the top of their lungs. They did the same thing when they came in second place for the science fair. 

_You and me baby  
We're stuck like glue_

Beca finished singing with an overly exasperated sigh. But she was smiling, ever so slightly. It felt good to sing with Stacie again. Even if the Bella was just about the most annoying person on the planet.

The comfortable silence was broken by Chloe, unsurprisingly. The redhead smiled and clapped her hands excitedly. “That was amazing! Beca, I love your voice!” 

Beca couldn’t help it, she blushed slightly. It was the redhead’s overwhelming enthusiasm for everything, surely. “Thanks.”

Aubrey fixed Beca with a look that she couldn’t decipher. It wasn’t displeased, though, so Beca decided that it was probably a good sign. 

Then Aubrey was talking again, and Beca was forced to reconsider. “That was okay, but can you match these notes?” 

Beca spent the rest of their time in the park doggedly following Aubrey’s instructions, occasionally meeting Stacie or Chloe’s sympathetic eyes. But in the ride back, when Chloe gripped her hand and tapped out the rhythm to one of the songs on the radio, Beca found herself thinking, yet again, that being a Bella could simultaneously be the best and worst thing that would ever happen to her. And she tapped her foot to the rhythm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland


	4. At Least It's Not You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, I know it's been almost a year, I'm very sorry, have a slightly longer chapter to make up for it.

Walking into class the next day, specifically third period, was something Beca was not looking forward to in the least. And yet, she did it, taking a seat next to Cynthia-Rose, bracing herself for what the Bella would surely say. Something scathing about her hypocritical refusal to try out for the Bellas, surely. 

But, once she sat down, all Beca got was a simple, friendly, “What’s up, Mitchell?” 

Beca gave her an odd look, but ultimately decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. If Cynthia-Rose wanted to be friendly, that didn’t bother Beca as much as she thought it would. 

She was forced to rethink that conclusion, however, when the Treblemakers got ahold of her. 

And they quite literally did get ahold of her. She was walking to her car after school when someone put an arm around her shoulders and yanked her into a classroom. At first, she honestly thought it was Stacie. Then she caught a glimpse of slick black hair and semi-hipster glasses, and she knew it was Donald. And they weren’t alone. 

Bumper and Unicycle were sitting on desks, swinging their legs back and forth like children. Jesse, Benji, and Kolio were playing some card game in the back corner. Mr. Smith, the Treblemaker’s club sponsor, was nowhere to be seen. That fact alone made Beca more nervous than she cared to admit. 

Jesse sat up straight in his seat when he saw her, that almost impossibly wide smile in place. Donald still had his arm around her shoulders, so Beca elbowed him in the gut and escaped to Jesse’s side, before the other Treble could retaliate. It wasn’t like them pulling her into their stupid little rehearsals wasn’t normal, it was. But they usually had all the Trebles there when they did that. 

“Why?” Was all she had to say, meeting Bumper’s eyes. 

“Because,” Unicycle answered, throwing an arm around Beca because he apparently didn’t have any grasp of cause and effect, and Beca elbowed him in the gut as well. He just pulled her closer, laughing. “We heard you had your eyes on that Bella spot.” 

Bumper nodded, creepily in sync with his fellow Trebles as always. “Are you going to join the Barden Bellas, Mitchell? Honestly, I would have thought that they were below you.” 

Beca bristled and opened her mouth to defend them, then thought better of it. There had never been much point in reasoning with Bumper when he was in one of his moods. It was the same way with all of the Trebles, except for Benji. Some days Beca thought that he was incapable of being angry, or even annoyed. 

Donald leaned against a desk, fingers tapping out a rhythm on the wood. “And what ever happened to Beca ‘I will never sing a capella’ Mitchell?” 

Beca barely had time to dwell on how similar he and Stacie were before she found herself responding. “Why are you being such a baby about it? It’s not like I could actually join the Treblemakers. Why shouldn’t I be a Bella?” 

“Ohhh,” Kolio said, leaning in annoyingly close to Beca, who was still being pinned down by Unicycle’s arm. “Is this about a girl? Is there someone on the Bellas that you want to-” He wiggled his eyebrows in a disgustingly suggestive way “- _impress_?” 

Beca was heavily tempted to punch him, but she gritted her teeth and glared instead. Starting a fight would just end in them all getting semi-drunk and crying and telling each other how much they loved each other. Beca knew that from unfortunate experience. 

Jesse seemed to notice her growing frustration, however. “Come on, whatever. We’re all going out. Do you still have your Treblemaker jacket, Becs?” 

“Of course, in my locker.” Beca replied instantly, thankful for the change in topic. “Where are we going?” 

Bumper took over, sliding up next to Jesse with a haughty, stupid look on his face. “We’ll tell you when we get there, Mitchell.” 

_What is it with a capella people and kidnapping me?_ Beca thought wearily, but she didn’t say anything. She finally wormed her way out from under Unicycle and backed a safe distance away from all of the Trebles. Hoping in a car with them and trusting them blindly was just another thing that was, unfortunately, normal to Beca by now. As much as she wished she could go home and relax alone, she knew there was no getting a Treblemaker to change his mind. _Of all the days to stay after school and help out a teacher, I had to choose the day the Trebles are here. Figures._

She followed Bumper and the boys out of the classroom slowly, falling into step beside Benji silently. He was the only one who seemed to know her boundaries, and respect them without being told. The other boys backed off when warned, but Benji just seemed to understand. 

Beca thought back to when she had first met the awkward boy, one fateful day at Jesse’s house. He had already been over when Beca arrived, doing magic tricks, of all things. He had seen her and waved, spilling multiple playing cards out of his sleeve in the process. Jesse had ended up convincing both of them to stay for a movie, the boys singing along to all of the musical bits, Beca curled up as far away from them as she could get, but still watching. 

She was pulled out of the memory by Jesse herding to two of them into his car. He made sure that Beca was staying in the passenger seat and not making a run for it before he started to follow Bumper’s car out of the lot. 

“I really would like to know where you’re taking me.” Beca said, knowing full well that she wouldn’t get an answer, not even from Benji. Jesse just smiled at her and continued driving behind Bumper, singing along to the radio with Benji doing air-guitar in the backseat. 

They drove like that for a while, the two boys distracting Beca just enough to keep her from knowing where they were headed. The old car sputtered and whined with every mile that Jesse drove, but no matter what, that ancient radio kept spitting out Jesse’s favorite songs. After the first two, Beca was still wondering where they were going. After four songs, she was contemplating punching Jesse’s arm to shut him up, but decided that the subsequent car crash wouldn’t be worth it. After the sixth song, Beca was singing along. 

When they pulled into a parking lot on the edge of town, Beca didn’t even need to look at the building to see where they were. She shot Jesse an amused look and unbuckled her seatbelt, but didn’t get out of the car just yet. Every other time they had been here, she had followed Bumper’s lead, and she wasn’t about to change that. 

The seedy karaoke bar on the edge of Barden was notorious for its lax ID policies and tendency to have at least two fistfights a night. Beca had witnessed plenty of them when she was here with the Treblemakers, and maybe, just maybe, she had participated in one or two, not that she would ever admit that to anybody. 

Benji handed Beca her Treblemaker jacket, and she slipped it on before following Jesse out of the car, shoving her hands in her pockets as she did.

“You ready for this, Mitchell?” Donald said, herding them toward the doors. “A going away party for our favorite Barden Bella.” 

Beca scoffed, “I’m not a Bella yet.” 

“You will be, don’t worry.” Donald opened the door and ushered her through with a “ladies first”, and Beca was tempted to shove him. She slid into the dimly lit bar behind Jesse, shoulders tensing when the burly old men and sad day drinkers who frequented the establishment turned to stare at them. Admittedly, seven teenagers in matching dark red jackets would be cause for scrutiny anywhere. Beca avoided the eyes of everyone in there, walking to the bar with Donald, fake ID at the ready, not that she would need it. 

As she waited for her drink, Beca looked over to where the rest of the Trebles had claimed two tables and pushed them together, as close to the karaoke stage as they could get. Bumper was already talking loudly to the poor soul running the karaoke, even though he knew that it wouldn’t start for at least another hour, at six. Until then, it seemed like Beca and Donald had involuntarily taken charge of getting drinks for everyone. It was going to be a long hour. 

***

Six rolled around, but it was still around an hour before any of the Trebles got to sing. The bar started to fill up with people, some that Beca recognized from around school, some people from the local university, and some people who were actually old enough to drink. 

Bumper went up first, obviously. He sang loudly and slightly off-key for the entirety of New Man by Ed Sheeran. The rest of the Treblemakers, and Beca, cheered and drank and cheered some more, with only Kolio and Benji staying sober for the drive back. When Bumper finished his song, the next person stepped up to take the microphone, but Bumper refused to let go, yelling something about being “too hot to be kicked off the stage”. 

Beca tuned out the fight between the Treble and the drunk college girl trying to sing, turning to Donald beside her. “He’s going to get us all arrested one of these days.”

Donald laughed, watching Bumper carefully. “Definitely. He’ll probably pick a fight with those old dudes over there and leave us to take the fall for it.” 

Beca snorted and looked back over to the stage, where Bumper was now on the ground wrestling with one of the bartenders, still holding on to the mic. She was well on her way to enjoying herself when Donald added, “I’m gonna miss this when you become a Bella.” 

“What are you talking about?” Beca said, head whipping around to face him. And, because they were all a little more than buzzed at this point, Donald simply repeated himself. Beca shoved his shoulder lightly. “Why would you miss it? This isn’t going to change.” 

Donald laughed, finished off his drink and flagged down a waitress for another one. “Of course it’s going to change, Mitchell. The Bellas and the Treblemakers are rivals. Enemies. We can’t hang out like we used to, because of the Aubrey chick. She’s crazy about keeping the rivalry alive, and Bumper isn’t too thrilled about the Bellas, either.” 

“So, what? I’m not _allowed_ to be your guys’ friend anymore?” Beca demanded. “That’s ridiculous.” She finished off her own drink, frowning at Donald now. “Screw Aubrey and Bumper. I’m not gonna stop being friends with you guys.” 

Donald turned and smirked at her. “You sure about that?” 

Before she could respond, he was up and pulling Beca with him up onto the stage. Bumper had been moved back to their table, apparently. Once Beca saw this and figured out what Donald was about to do, she grabbed Jesse’s nearly-full beer and downed it quickly. She was way too sober to be doing karaoke with a Treblemaker. 

Up on the stage, Donald selected a song and shoved a microphone into her hands. The rest of the Trebles started to cheer obnoxiously. The opening music started up, and Beca couldn’t help the pained groan that came from her mouth. “Ugh, really?” Donald nodded enthusiastically and pointed at her to start the song.

And Beca could be one hundred percent honest when she said that belting out I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston at eight o’clock on a Wednesday night was not how she expected this day to go. Donald sang with her, taking her free hand and leading her on a ridiculous dance around the stage. The Trebles and others in the bar sang along with the chorus every time, and by the time the song was over, as cheesy as it sounded, Beca couldn’t get the smile off her face. 

She hopped off the stage and immediately stumbled into Donald, both of them just a little drunker than they thought. Nevertheless, they got back to the table and Beca ordered another beer, already cheering for Jesse and Kolio as they climbed up on stage. They picked an older pop song, another one that everyone knew the words to. Jesse was bouncing around the stage like an excited puppy, and poor, sober Kolio was chasing him around, trying to keep him from falling off the edge of the stage. 

Beca leaned in close to Donald, taking a sip from her drink. “I can’t believe Benji’s parents are letting us all crash at his place.” She mumbled, catching Jesse’s eye and winking at him playfully. 

He chuckled, throwing a heavy arm around her shoulders. “I know. Especially you, being a girl and all.” 

Beca scoffed at that and tried to push his arm away, missed, and succeeded on her second try. “I’m gonna be even more of a girl surrounded by the Bellas.” She said confidently, ignoring the confused look Benji sent her way, thinking back to the group of girls, specifically a beaming redhead. She lost the thought soon enough, and smirked at Donald as he tried to hit on the waitress. 

After another hour of singing, drinking, and just being general nuisances at the bar, Benji and Kolio decided it was time to start herding them all to the cars. What they didn’t account for, however, was Bumper picking a fight with a drunk college guy on the way out.

The Treblemaker’s captain was shouting his head off at some guy when his friends came to back him up, and then Beca and Donald were stepping in to support Bumper, and the college guy swung his arm, and the fight was on. Bumper hollered and jumped on the college guy, and Donald slammed into both of them. One of the college guy’s friends moved to help, but Beca tapped him on the shoulder lightly. He swung around clumsily, and Beca punched him. 

Jesse grabbed her and Donald’s shoulders, pulling them out of the bar and into the parking lot. Beca stumbled as she tried to walk, the ground seeming to tilt under her legs. Benji ran ahead of them and started the car, peeling out of the lot as soon as everyone had their seatbelts on. 

“That was awesome!” Donald crowed, clapping Beca on the back. “You totally dropped that guy, Mitchell!” 

“Hell yeah I did,” Beca said, smirking at him, hands grabbing the back of the seat in front of her. “Did you see that, Jess? I got him.” 

Jesse started laughing, and Donald joined in loudly. Benji shot an unamused, stressed look at all three of them, leading them and the rest of the boys in the other car to his house. They pulled up in front of a familiar two-story home, Kolio stopping beside them. Beca tumbled out of the car with Donald’s arm slung over her shoulders for balance. She accidentally caught his jacket in the door, and he yelled out in surprise as he tripped and fell to the ground because of it. The sound echoed all down the street. 

“Shh!” Beca knelt down beside him and helped him up, and Bumper laughed, very loudly. 

“Donald tripped!” He almost shouted, shoving the both of them and nearly falling over himself. “What a loser!” 

The house beside them, which still had it’s lights on, opened its door, and Stacie Conrad of all people peered out. Beca could vaguely see what looked to be Aubrey and Chloe standing behind her. 

“Oh, fuck,” Beca muttered, shoving Donald away from her guiltily, causing him to fall on his ass yet again, which earned laughter from the rest of the Trebles. She cleared her throat. “Hey, Conrad, what’s poppin’?” _What’s poppin’? Seriously, that’s the best you can come up with?_ Beca thought. 

Stacie and the co-captains of the Bellas stepped out of the house, and Beca could see even more Bellas behind them. _Oh, God,_ she thought with horror, _it’s a Bellas sleepover._

“Beca?” Chloe asked softly, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. “Are you okay? What are you doing here?” 

Beca glanced at the Treblemakers over her shoulder, and Jesse’s panicked eyes caught her own. There would be no help there. “This isn’t Stacie’s house.” She blurted out, snapping her mouth shut after her brain caught up with what she said. 

“No, it’s Emily’s. The legacy.” Chloe peered into her eyes, and Beca tried desperately to focus. “You’re drunk.” She stated matter-of-factly. 

Beca backed up a step, stumbled, and would have fallen if not for Chloe’s warm hand grabbing her arm. The redhead pulled her back upright, standing alarmingly close. Her sparkling blue eyes scanned Beca’s face before coming to rest by meeting her eyes. They stayed like that for a beat of silence, simply looking. 

Jesse suddenly put a hand on Beca’s shoulder and pulled her close. “So, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?” 

“Uh, bad news?” Beca tore her eyes away from Chloe and looked at her friend. 

“Benji’s mom says you can’t stay with us. Something about drunk guys and girls not mixing well.” 

Beca frowned slightly, forgetting the Bellas’ eyes on her for a moment. “Does she know that I’m-”

“Yeah,” Jesse cut her off quickly, eyes flashing to the girls on the neighboring lawn. “She said she doesn’t care. She’s pretty pissed about us getting drunk, to be honest.” 

Beca scoffed, annoyed, and shoved her hands into the pockets of her Treblemaker jacket. Her knuckles hurt from the punch she had thrown in the bar, and it was starting to get really cold out. “What about your good news?” 

Jesse bounced on his feet like a small child, grinning at her. “Aubrey said you can stay with them!” 

“What?” Beca choked out, horrified, as Chloe gasped that same word excitedly. 

“Oh, Beca, this is going to be great! You can finally meet all of the Bellas!” The redhead clapped her hands together once happily before grabbing Beca’s hand and leading her into Emily’s house. Beca threw a betrayed glance over her shoulder at Jesse, but he was already babbling excitedly to Benji, who at least had the decency to look apologetic. 

Chloe led them into the house, and Stacie wrapped a supportive arm around a struggling Beca’s waist. She stumbled and nearly fell multiple times on her way to the stairs, Aubrey looking more and more like she regretted this with every step. At the top of the stairs, they met up with a girl who looked about fourteen years old. Beca guessed that this was Emily. 

They all stopped, and Beca noticed that the freshman was taller than her by quite a bit. If the look on Stacie’s face meant anything, she had noticed too, but for once, she kept quiet. 

“Hi! Are you Beca? Aubrey and Chloe have been telling us all about you!” Emily said softly, smiling widely. When Beca didn’t respond, her eyes narrowed, and she took a closer look at the shorter girl. “Wait. Are you drunk?” 

“Yes,” Beca grunted out. “I promise I’ll talk to you in the morning, kiddo. I just need to sleep first.” 

“Oh, okay!” Emily’s smile didn’t falter, and she led Beca into a room. The floor was covered wall to wall in sleeping bags and blankets and pillows, and most of the Bellas were milling around. Cynthia-Rose took one look at Beca and handed her a water bottle, which she accepted gratefully. Stacie dumped her on a spare blanket in the corner of the room, next to what Beca recognized as the brunette’s sleeping bag. She faintly heard Aubrey and Chloe explaining the situation to the rest of the Bellas. 

“By the looks of it, you’re not going to be feeling much like talking tomorrow, Mitchell.” Stacie laughed. “I’ll make sure I know where the Tylenol is.” 

“Thank you,” Beca murmured, already struggling to stay awake. 

“You’re welcome.” 

The last things that Beca saw before she fell into a restless sleep were Stacie’s ass walking away, and Chloe’s sparkling blue eyes looking back at her.


End file.
